Tim Speedle Drabbles
by Aeon65
Summary: This is a series of 100 word drabbles centering around Tim Speedle. Each is based on a single word prompt. The prompt is the chapter title. WARNING: SOME ARE SLASH. I own nothing to do with CSI:Miami. There may be mild spoilers for the first two seasons.
1. fire

Speed's skin was on fire. Everywhere Horatio touched and kissed left him burning. Horatio's fingers left fiery trails as they worked their way down his ribcage. He kissed up Speed's neck and face, leaving a burning line along his jaw. He latched on to Speed's mouth for a tongue tangling kiss that left his lips hot and his lungs burning for air.

Even the thin sheen of perspiration that covered him did nothing to cool the heat that Horatio was causing. A bead of sweat trickled down his face. Speed closed his eyes and allowed the fire to consume him.


	2. food

Speed walked into the break room, happy to see he was alone. He had run out to the thai place to grab some take out. He popped open his container of pahd thai and dug in. The spicy peanut flavor of the noodles tingled on his tongue.

In short order, Eric showed up at the door. "Ooh, thai food," he said with a smile.

Speed glared at him. "Get your own," he snapped.

"Come on," Eric pleaded. "You're not going to eat all that by yourself."

Speed sighed and handed Eric a pair of chopsticks. Food was always better shared.


	3. lightning

Tim loved storms. There was something about the air during a lightning storm, crisp and charged. He stood by the window of his apartment watching the city. Suddenly there was a flash of light, bright enough to light up his whole apartment, making him blink.

In the distance, he was able to see the jagged shape of the lightning bolt as it hit ground somewhere in the city. Sirens began to sound somewhere in the distance and he wondered what had been hit. He hoped his services wouldn't be needed tonight. He just wanted to sit and watch the storm.


	4. storm

The storm had caught him off guard. One moment the sun was shining, the next there was a monsoon. The crime scene was completely washed away and Tim was soaked to the bone in a matter of seconds.

He and Eric scrambled to close up their kits and rescue whatever evidence they could, then they made a made a mad dash for the Hummer. They flung their kits inside and jumped in after. They just sat there in silence, staring out the front windshield at the pounding rain.

They exchanged a glance. Eric laughed. "You look like a drowned rat."


	5. thunder

A loud thunder clap sounded somewhere in the distance. Tim huddled in the doorway of the shop with several other people, waiting out the sudden downpour. He was on his lunch break and really didn't want to return to the lab soaking wet.

Another clap of thunder, this time directly over head, made the windows in the shop rattle. At least that meant that the storm was passing quickly. He pushed himself further back into the corner as another loud clap sounded.

Quickly, the claps began to move off and the rain abated. Next time he wouldn't forget his umbrella.


	6. purple

Horatio was wearing that shirt again. Tim watched him from the other side of the lab. That purple shirt. It made his eyes look a deep shade of blue and brought out the red of his hair, making it look like his head was on fire. He was staring now.

Tim approached him from behind and wrapped his arms around Horatio's waist, leaning his chin on the other man's shoulder. "Do you have any idea what that shirt does to me?" he asked. Horatio smirked and Tim realized that he did. Tim kissed along Horatio's neck. "Let's find somewhere private."


	7. sunset

Tim sat on the beach, digging his toes in the sand. The case was solved and the girl's family could have some peace knowing that her killer was behind bars. He sat and watched the sun set over the ocean.

He watched as the sky turned from blue to shades of pink then orange and red. Slowly the sun sank into the ocean and the sky turned a deep, dark blue. As the sun fell, he thought their young victim, her parents, the look on Horatio's face when they got the guy.

He smiled in the dark. Another job done.


	8. sight

The next five prompts form a little series. The theme is senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Slashy goodness follows.

Speed lay very still. The blindfold over his eyes completely blacked out his vision. The silence in the room was deafening. No one moved, or at least that was his impression. His hands were cuffed to the head board of the bed and he tingled with anticipation. He just wished he could see what Horatio was planning. He pulled at his bonds, testing their strength. He tried twisting his head to dislodge the blindfold just enough for a peek. But Horatio had done a good job. He was completely blind. All he could do was to lie there and wait.


	9. sound

Speed heard a sound break the silence of the room. The blindfold over his eyes was making his hearing more acute. It sounded like a door opening then the footsteps of someone entering the room. As he pulled at his bonds, he heard a chuckle.

"Don't struggle, baby. You'll wear yourself out before I even get started," he heard Horatio whisper.

A shiver ran through Speed's body at the sound of those words and he heard himself whimper slightly. The sound of a drawer opening and some rustling caught his attention. He strained to hear. The anticipation was killing him.


	10. smell

A scent was beginning to permeate the air of the bedroom. Blindfolded and restrained, Speed was trying to make use of his other senses. He tried to place the smell and inhaled deeply. It was faintly vanilla with something else he couldn't quite place. After a moment he recognized the spicy scent of Horatio's aftershave mixed with the vanilla candles that they had purchased a few days ago. He heard a noise next to the bed and the scent grew stronger. He found the combination of the two scents terribly arousing and again he tugged at his bonds without success.


	11. taste

Speed's senses were being overwhelmed. He was beginning to sweat. His mouth was going dry. He ran his tongue over his lips and tasted the saltiness of his own perspiration. He felt the side of the mattress sink as Horatio sat next to him.

"Open your mouth," he whispered seductively. Speed took in a quick breath then complied. He felt something on his tongue. It was sweet and fruity. Some sort of candy, he thought. "Close your mouth," Horatio ordered in that same sexy tone. Horatio slowly moved the lollipop around his mouth. Who knew candy could be so erotic?


	12. touch

Speed's skin tingled with the first touch. Horatio ran his hand down his neck and over his shoulders. His eyes hidden behind a blindfold, each touch surprised him a little. He felt fingers trail down his ribs, followed by the touch of Horatio's lips. Speed pulled at his bound wrists and felt Horatio smile into his skin.

Speed felt his lover run his fingers down his sides as his lips gently touched his abdomen. His breath caught as Horatio brushed his hands gently over his hips causing him to arch up.

"Relax, baby," Horatio whispered. "All things in good time."


	13. beginnings

Tim stood in the middle of his new apartment at the beginning of his new life. He had just arrived from New York and was starting his new job at the Miami-Dade Crime Lab tomorrow. He took a deep breath and thought about everything he had left back in New York and realized he did not miss any of it. He was looking forward to the warmer weather, no snow in the winter, and that hot redhead he'd met during his interview.

He shook his head. "Take it slow," he thought. "They'll be plenty of time for things like that."


	14. ends

Tim walked around the Miami-Dade Crime Lab for the last time. After thirty years of service, he was finally retiring. The lab had changed a lot in the last thirty years; new technology, new faces. Everyone looked so young and he wondered if he had ever looked like that.

Eric would be the only one of their original staff left now. Horatio had retired almost ten years ago and Tim was looking forward to spending more time with him now that the would both be retired. Calliegh had moved back to Louisiana. One last look around and he was gone.


	15. first

Megan walked him through the halls of the Miami-Dade crime lab introducing him to the other members of the team. In two weeks he would be working here. The place was a bit intimidating, a maze of hallways and labs. He wondered if he would be able to remember everyone's names.

They walked into the trace lab and Tim noticed a man with his back to them working at one of the counters. "Horatio," Megan called. The man turned. He had bright red hair and the most beautiful blue eyes. Tim would never forget the first time he'd met Horatio.


	16. last

The sun shone down as Tim stood alone, leaning on his cane. At eighty-one, time had taken its toll on his body. He stared into the open grave. He'd always known, with the difference in their ages, that he would outlive Horatio. But, he never liked to think about it.

He thought about the last time they'd spoken. The last time they'd kissed. A single tear fell. Eric appeared next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come, old friend. It's time to go," he said.

Tim turned then looked back over his shoulder for one last good-bye.


	17. grey

Tim stepped out of the main terminal building of Kennedy Airport in New York. The wind whipped around him and he wrapped himself a bit tighter in his coat. They sky was grey and there was a chill in the air. He realized how much his blood had thinned while living in Miami.

The conference was only for three days and Horatio wasn't able to attend with him. He had been in New York for less than twenty minutes and he was already looking forward to leaving. He stepped further out into the cold, grey morning and hailed a cab.


	18. snow

The snow began to fall as Tim's cab wound its way through the streets of Manhattan toward his hotel. He watched the fluffy white flakes fall past the side window of the cab. It was beginning to accumulate on the street and sidewalks.

The cab pulled up to the hotel and Tim got out. For the past ten years he'd lived in Miami and he had not seen snow in all that time. He look up toward the sky and several snowflakes landed on his face. He smiled and wiped his face. He made his way into the hotel lobby.


	19. winter

It was early Saturday morning and there was still several hours before the conference would begin for the day. Tim decided to go for a walk. The hotel was close enough to Central Park to take a stroll through he park and still be back in time for the first lecture.

The snow had been falling all night and had blanketed the city in white fluff. He dug his hands deep into his pockets to ward off the cold. He watched the children play in the winter wonderland that Central Park had turned into. He wished Horatio could've been here.


	20. missing

Tim shut the door to his hotel room then collapsed onto the bed. In three days he had presented one papers, taken part in three panel discussions, and given two lectures on collecting trace evidence at crime scenes. He was exhausted and he was missing Horatio something awful.

It really had not been that long but it was the first time in over a year they'd had to spend any time apart. He was happy that he would finally be going home tomorrow.

His cell phone rang. He looked at the callerID and smiled.

"Horatio," he said. "I miss you."


	21. lost

"We are not lost," Speed said for the tenth time. "I know where we are."

"Yeah, we're in Florida," Eric replied. "Somewhere."

Speed shot him a look. He was not about to admit to Eric that he had no idea where he was. He looked around as he drove hoping to see something, anything that looked familiar. But, the crime scene they were supposed to be at was pretty far outside the city and he was lost.

"We've passed this spot before," Eric said. "You're driving in circles."

"I am not. All those strip malls look the same," Speed replied.


	22. found

Speed and Eric walked up to the scene an hour later than they'd said they'd be. Detective Tripp threw his hands up.

"Finally. What took you so long?" he asked.

Eric and Speed exchanged a glance before Eric pointed at Speed, saying, "He got lost."

"Hey, I found the place didn't I," Speed protested.

"By accident," Eric shot back.

"Fine. Next time you drive," Speed replied.

Tripp was tired of waiting and was getting frustrated. 

"Will you two stop arguing and get to work," he said.

As they walked off toward the body Tripp heard Eric say, "I'm driving back."


	23. broken

Her little body lay there battered and broken. The children were always the hardest. Speed stood there and stared at her for a few moments before he was able to detach himself enough to begin snapping pictures. When he was done he knelt down and took her tiny hand in his own. He carefully swabbed under her nails. He knew he couldn't hurt her but he was gentle anyway. He was always careful with the children. He took his time processing wanting to be thorough and at the same time not wanting to face the child's mother standing just outside.


	24. blind

Speed looked back at Horatio as he headed down the stairs. He wondered how his boss did what he did. How did he see things that other people passed right over? It was like some freaky gift or something. He'd spent hours with Wally, talked with him, worked next to him. He didn't see the pain the kid was in. It made him question himself. Horatio had told him that Wally simply hid it well, that he'd been hiding it for a long time. But that didn't make him feel any better. He wondered how he could be so blind.


	25. choices

Life was full of choices. There were big choices, little choices, good choices, and bad choices. He'd seen people make some spectacularly bad choices. Every time he processes a crime scene he had to deal with people's bad choices. He had made some bad choices himself. He had chosen not to clean his gun for a few weeks and was almost killed because of it. Horatio had brought him a new gun cleaning kit after that incident. He had brought it right to this lab knowing that he had neglected his weapon. And now he had another choice to make.


	26. red

It used to be his favorite color. As a kid it was his favorite crayon to color with. He loved cherry jello and strawberry iced cream. He remembered making big red craft paper hearts for his mother on Valentine's Day as a kid. At Christmas time it was the color of Santa Claus.

Then he joined the police force and became a crime scene investigator. Now that color held a different place in his life, a different significance. It was the color of blood. He still enjoyed all of those things from his childhood but red wasn't his favorite anymore.


	27. shapes

Speed sat on the stool in the layout room hunched over one of his crime scene sketches logging evidence from a murder investigation as it came into the lab. He looked at a photo he had taken at the scene then picked up one of his templates and laid it down on the large piece of paper. He picked exactly the right shape to represent the type of gun they had found at the house and traced its outline onto the white sheet. When he was done he lifted it off and examined his work before placing the template aside.


	28. hours

Speed sat in front of the mass spectrometer waiting for his printout. If people knew how much of investigative police work was spent waiting, they would probably never join up. He could easily spend hours each day waiting for that stupid machine to spit out its results, or waiting for DNA, or waiting for a fingerprint analysis or an AFIS hit. He'd probably spent half his career waiting for something or other.

"Come on you damn machine. Give me something," he griped.

Then as if on cue, the machine whirred and the printer buzzed. And finally the waiting was over.


	29. rain

June in Miami meant unpredictable weather. It could be sunny one minute then pouring rain and thunder the next. Speed sat in the Hummer waiting for the torrents of rain to stop. He didn't see the point of getting soaked. The crime scene was inside the building he was sitting in front of and it wasn't going anywhere. He watched as the water cascaded down the front windshield and over the hood of the massive vehicle. A clap of thunder sounded directly overhead causing all of the cars windows to rattle.

"Good, at least it'll be over soon," he thought.


	30. birthday

He had actually forgotten what day it was. It wasn't like he celebrated his birthday or anything. But apparently word had gotten around the lab that this was his thirtieth birthday and someone thought that a party was necessary. He had been totally surprised to find all of his teammates in the break room. He had been even more surprised when they all started singing happy birthday when he walked in. Even Horatio joined in the festivities. They had all chipped in on a cake and gotten him a card. It was a birthday he knew he would always remember.


	31. days

How long had it been? He'd lost count of how many days he had been working without a break. He'd gone home to sleep, a couple of times at least, he thought. But the case demanded his attention and he was determined to stay there until it was solved. A lot hinged on his trace analysis, in fact, the whole case hinged on his trace analysis.

He was worried that his mind was getting foggy. Four days, or was it five. He wasn't even sure what day it was anymore. He only knew he'd be there until it was over.


	32. too much

"You're too skinny. Eat some more," Alexx said as she piled some more food on his plate.

Speed shook his head and smiled. "Thanks, Alexx, but I really can't eat any more. I'm stuffed."

The dinner had been wonderful and it was nice to get out of his apartment and have a home cooked meal with Alexx and her family. But he really couldn't eat another bite of food without exploding.

Peter looked over at him and smirked. "Now you know how I feel."

Alexx gave him the look and Speed chuckled.

"Okay, okay. I get the point," Alexx said.


	33. not enough

He would never get enough of this, he thought as Horatio nibbled at his left earlobe. Speed vocalized a quiet moan when Horatio ran his tongue around the shell of his ear. They were hiding in the supply closet at the lab and had to keep quiet. It wasn't easy. He also knew that they would have to stop short of what they really wanted. This was just meant to be a short distraction from the case they were working. Horatio latched onto Speed's neck and suckled. Speed bit back another moan and he knew this would never be enough.


	34. sixth sense

Speed watched through the one-way glass as Horatio interrogated their suspect. He still could not figure out how the redhead managed to figure out how this guy committed the murder but he was certain that they had the right guy. He was beginning to think that Horatio possessed some sort of psychic ability when it came to crime fighting.

He watched as Horatio laid out his case to the guy. He watched as the man shrunk before Horatio and finally admitted to his crime. The funny thing was that they had no actual evidence, just Horatio's instinct to go on.


	35. water

Speed hopped out of the Hummer and walked around to the back grabbing his kit. The blistering noonday sun beat down on him as he pulled his tools out of the back of the car. He was already beginning to sweat. Eric joined him pulling his own kit out. He looked over at Speed.

"Hot enough for you?" he asked smirking.

Speed glared at him as they walked across the front lawn. He was about to say something when the sprinkler system sprung to life. Eric ran for the front door but Speed just stood there in the cool spray.


	36. fixed

The case had been falling apart. Everyone was upset because the evidence just didn't seem to be there. They had all given up for the night and headed home but Speed stayed behind in his lab. He was sure he could find something in the pile of possible evidence that he had on his table. He knew there was no such thing as a perfect crime. He was determined.

He sorted and categorized everything then began checking for any trace he could find. After what seemed like hours the mass spectrometer's printer buzzed to life and he had his answer.


	37. light

Speed pulled the page out of the printer and reviewed the test results. He yawned. It was two in the morning and his regular shift would start in four hours. But it had been worth it. He had found what they had all been looking for, something to tie their suspect to the crime. He smiled. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

He packed all of the evidence back into the box and stored it away. Then he headed up to Horatio's office to stretch out on the couch for a few hours of sleep.


	38. shattered

Speed had known from the beginning what being a crime scene investigator meant. It meant he would be seeing people on the worst day of their lives. The worst were the children. He always had trouble dealing with the children. Small broken bodies were always difficult to deal with.

Sometimes he wished he'd picked a different profession. But in the end he knew that what he did made a difference so he tried not to dwell to long on the shattered lives he saw every day. If he did he wouldn't be able to get out of bed every morning.


	39. paralysis

He still remembered the first time he walked up to a crime scene and saw a dead body. The memory jumped to the front of his mind even now many years later whenever he approached a murder scene. He'd been nervous then and that feeling still seeped through today.

He remembered being frozen in place standing a few feet away from the body. He stood there staring at it. Luckily Meagan had misinterpreted his inaction for good investigative technique instead of what it actually was, fear. Even today, as he approached the scene, the memory of that fear was present.


	40. deaf

Calleigh stood in the doorway of the Trace Lab watching the room's occupant. Speed sat at the table with his headphones on writing a case report. She could hear the music faintly coming through the headphones even from a distance and wondered how he was able to concentrate. She walked into the room and tapped him on the shoulder. He startled slightly and pulled the headphones off. Calleigh was blasted by heavy metal music.

"You're gonna go deaf, you know." she said.

Tim made a face. "Thanks for the warning, mom," he whined.

Calleigh laughed and switch the music off.


	41. sunrise

Speed rolled over in bed. It was still dark out but late enough to get up. He made his way to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. When it was ready he poured himself a cup and stepped out onto his porch. His house faced east and the porch was the perfect spot to sit and watch the day begin. He pulled a chair over to the edge of the porch and put his feet up on the railing as he sipped his coffee. This was his favorite time of day, he thought as he watched the sun rise.


	42. breakfast

The phone had rung at four-thirty. He had been out the door fifteen minutes later and made it to the station twenty minutes after that. It was now five-fifteen and he and Eric were in a Hummer heading to the scene of a homicide in the Glades.

Speed's stomach rumbled and he turned to Eric. "I don't suppose we could hit a drive through?" he asked. "I didn't get breakfast."

Eric pointed to the glove box. "I keep some power bars stowed in there. It'll have to do for now."

Speed sighed. It was going to be a long day.


	43. lunch

Speed collapsed into the chair in the break room. They had spent the entire morning knee deep in the muck of the Everglades collecting evidence. He was tired and desperately needed a shower, not to mention the fact that all he'd had to eat all morning was a power bar.

Eric walked into the break room and looked over at his friend. He wrinkled his nose. "You still smell like the swamp, man. Why don't you go grab a shower and a change of clothes?" He heard Speed's stomach growl and he chuckled. "I'll go and grab us some lunch."


	44. dinner

Speed was bent over his microscope looking at some plant matter that had been found on the dead body that they had recovered from the Everglades. It was getting late and he had been working this same case all day. He heard the printer sound and he looked up from what he was doing to find Horatio grabbing the print out from the machine.

He smiled at Speed. "What are you still doing here? It's late," Horatio said. But before Speed could respond he continued. "Come on, pack up. Let's go get some dinner."

"Sure, H. Why not?" Speed replied.


	45. dark

The loud clap of thunder caused Speed to spring bolt upright in bed.

"What the…"

It took him a moment to realize that the noise he was hearing was the rain hitting his window. He let out a breath and shook his head. There was a flash of lightning that momentarily lit up the room followed by a loud bang. Speed looked around as his whole apartment went dark.

"That wasn't thunder," he muttered.

He made his way to the front window only stubbing his toe once. He looked out the window and saw that the whole neighborhood was dark.


	46. middles

It was two in the morning and Tim lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He'd been tossing and turning in bed since eleven and had finally given up on any sort of sleep. He debated with himself as to whether or not to get up or just lie there and at least let his body get some rest even if his mind wouldn't shut off.

The middle of the night was no time to be awake, he thought. But he also knew that he would not get any meaningful sleep until Horatio returned the next day from his conference.


	47. friends

Tim lay on his side on the sofa. His head was pounding and he felt nauseous. He hated being sick and had stayed home from work for the last two days. He'd been lying there for more than an hour not wanting to move. He hadn't eaten all day.

There was a knock on his door and he knew he would have to get up and answer it. He stood up, fighting a wave of dizziness, and opened the door. Eric and Calleigh stood there. Eric held up a bag.

"Chicken soup," he said.

It was good to have friends.


	48. teammates

They stood around the layout table in one of the labs at CSI. Tim glanced around the room. Horatio stood at one end of the table with a series of photos spread out in front of him. Calleigh was opposite him with small bags containing bullets and casings along with her written report. Eric was opposite Tim with several fingerprint cards and his laptop computer. And Tim had his trace analysis on the table in front of him.

The whole team was there in the room as they compared their evidence and attempted to come up with a likely suspect.


	49. drink

Tim sat on the stool at the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the dinning room watching Horatio cook dinner. It wasn't often that he actually volunteered to cook so Tim was going to enjoy his evening off. He had just broken a big case and Horatio felt the need to celebrate.

He picked up his glass of wine and took a sip. Usually Horatio's idea of celebrating meant an evening out but this time he'd showed up at home with a bottle of wine and a bag of groceries. He took another sip of wine and sat back.


	50. summer

Tim wiped the sweat from his forehead before he brought the camera back up to his eye. The humidity was beginning to affect his camera as well as him. His lens was beginning to fog up again and he thought maybe it was time to take a short break. He walked back to the Hummer and placed the camera in the cooler for a few minutes. Luckily the medical examiner had come to take the body away because in this heat that would not have been pleasant. He loved Miami but sometimes during the summer he really missed New York.


	51. green

Speed stepped out onto his front porch early in the morning. It had rained the night before and the morning air smelled fresh and clean. He inhaled deeply and looked around noticing how green the world around him looked after a heavy rain. The trees looked brighter, the grass looked fuller. Everything smelled green, if that was even possible. He walked back into the house and made himself a cup of coffee before he headed back out. He knew that the day would turn hot and humid before too long so he decided to enjoy the morning while he could.


	52. lovers

Not many people knew and that's exactly how they wanted it. Not just for the sake of their professional live but also because it was no one's business. They had never let their relationship interfere with their jobs at least not on the surface. There were the looks, the more intimate than necessary touches. Certainly there were days that Speed wanted nothing more than to pull Horatio into the supply closet and ravish him in that small dark space. But he always kept things professional, they both did. They were lovers at home but in the lab nothing but professionals.


	53. parents

Speed stood in the airport terminal watching as his mother and father made their way to the security area. They turned to waived goodbye one last time. Speed smiled and waived back. He had enjoyed the visit with his parents but after a week he was just as glad to get back to his normal life. And he wanted to get back to Horatio. He missed his lover but Horatio hadn't wanted to make any waves with Speed's parents so he'd stayed away. But now that they were gone he was looking forward to some quiet time with his lover.


	54. king

He was smug. He thought he was on top. He thought he was untouchable. He'd been arrested for killing his wife. He thought he'd covered his tracks, destroyed all of the evidence, and hidden the body. But Speed watched through the one-way glass as Horatio took him down a peg at a time. Speed smirked as he listened to Horatio present the evidence, the evidence that Speed had given him. He watched as the man's confidence wavered. The man had been the king of his domain and Speed watched as Horatio ripped that domain from him and he finally confessed.


	55. christmas

It was December 24th. Nothing like waiting until the last minute, Speed thought. He was wandering through downtown Miami looking for the perfect present for Horatio. But somehow Christmas didn't feel like Christmas in Miami. He walked past a man dressed as Santa Claus and shook his head. He had the white hair and white beard but was wearing a short sleeve top and shorts. There was just something wrong about that. Having grown up in upstate New York, Christmas was supposed to at least be cold. Snow would be nice too, but it shouldn't be eighty degrees and sunny.


	56. blue

Tim had decided, the very first time that he had met Horatio, that blue was his new favorite color. He'd never really thought about it much, never paid much attention to what color things were. But he loved all of the shades of blue in Horatio's eyes.

He loved the way the shades changed with his moods too. He could watch them go from their normal blue to a crystal clear blue when he was angry or a dark cobalt blue when Tim had him laid out naked on their bed.

Yeah, he thought, blue was definitely his favorite color.


	57. enemies

Speed watched from a distance as two men spoke. They didn't seem to be arguing as was their normal mode of communication but it wasn't friendly either, he could tell. Horatio was trying to explain something to Rick; he recognized the body language. Rick seemed to be disagreeing with whatever it was that Horatio was saying.

They argued fairly regularly, sometimes it was animated other times less so. Occasionally one could easily mistake the argument for a casual conversation. But Speed knew Horatio too well and could see the tension. It may appear friendly but deep down they were enemies.


	58. triangle

Cheating never got anyone anywhere, Tim thought as he pulled the old set of clothes out of the evidence bag. You never really get anywhere or accomplish anything when you cheat. He spread the shirt out on the table and started going over it with a tape lift.

Take this poor guy for example; the former owner of the shirt. As Tim worked he thought about the circumstances that had brought this piece of clothing to him. He had cheated on his wife, with her sister. The wife became aware of her husbands affair, the love triangle, and shot him.


	59. moon

Tim turned off all of the lights and stood out on the back deck staring up at the moon and stars. It was a peaceful night, quiet with a light breeze coming off of the ocean. He heard the glass door slide open and felt a pair of strong arms circle his waist.

"Whatchya doin'?" Horatio asked.

Tim pointed at the sky. "Full moon tonight," he said.

"Hmm. Don't hear any sirens," Horatio mused.

Tim turned in his arms and kissed him. "That's just an old wives tale," he said. "There isn't really more police activity at the full moon."


	60. disease

It was just a cold but he felt miserable. His head ached, his throat was sore, and he couldn't stop sneezing. He rolled over trying to find a comfortable position and failing. Finally he gave up and rolled out of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Horatio asked sleepily holding out a hand.

"Can't sleep. Lying down seems to make things worse," Speed answered then sneezed. "Besides, I'm just going to get you sick too."

He got up and wandered out of the room. Horatio found him an hour later sitting on the sofa asleep in front of the TV.


	61. pink

Tim laid the little pink dress out on the table and stared at it for a while. It looked like a dolls dress to him and he tried to imagine the little girl who wore it alive and happy. Unfortunately the overriding image in his head was not of her alive and happy, it was of what he'd seen when he'd gotten to her house and seen her lying crumpled on the floor. She'd been wearing that same little pink dress. He sighed and picked up his magnifier. At least he could help to determine what had happened to her.


	62. death

Death was part of the job. It was something you just had to get used to. You were around it every day. Tim stood in the autopsy room watching as Alexx pulled the dead man's organs out of his body like she was gutting a chicken. He shook his head. He couldn't let himself forget that the body on the table was the body of a human being, a human being that was once walking around as he was now. This was a man. If he ever forgot that then he wouldn't do his job as well as he did.


	63. square

Tim worked to ready the slide for the mass spectrometer. He carefully picked up his sample with a pair of tweezers and placed it on the slide. He dipped a dropper into a vile of dye and added a drop to the sample. Then he picked up the little square of glass that would cover the sample and keep it from falling off. He carefully placed it over the sample and tapped it gently to seal it to the slide. It was like a ritual for him to make sure everything was perfect before he dropped it into the machine.


	64. agony

He had never been in so much pain in his life. When the bullets hit his vest it felt like someone had dropped a bowling ball on his chest from ten feet. He could barely breath. He could not move. He was sure he was dead. Being shot, even with Kevlar, was no fun at all.

Later when he was sitting with the paramedic, the worst of the pain had subsided, the physical pain anyway. Horatio told him that Hollis was dead. That was a different kind of pain. Now he had to tell Horatio that it was his fault.


	65. she

Tim glanced behind him and saw her smiling at him again as he walked down the hall. He rolled his eyes. She was nice enough, he thought. But he just wasn't interested. It would have been different if she hadn't worked for the lab. He could have simply told her. He wasn't interested in women. He was only interested in men, one man in particular. But they weren't out and he couldn't tell her. So he had to put up with the stares and the flirting. He walked into his lab and turned to find her staring at him again.


	66. brown

Horatio walked into the Trace lab. He took one look at his lover and could tell it was long past time for him to go home. He looked like ha hadn't slept in days. He was fairly certain he was wearing the same clothes he'd had on the day before and possibly the day before that. His shoulders were drooping and he was dragging his feet when he walked. Horatio knew he couldn't be working at his best right now. But it was when Speed looked up at him that he realized. His normally expressive chocolate, brown eyes were bloodshot.


	67. circle

It had been a year, one full year that they'd been together. Tim knew for certain that he wanted many more years with Horatio and he was fairly certain that Horatio wanted that as well. He sat in his car in the driveway for quite some time summoning the courage for what he was about to do. He ran over in his head what to say. But he knew when the time came, his mind would go blank and he would have to improvise. He stared at the circle of gold in his hand. It's no or never, he thought


	68. heart

It wasn't all that unusual, to have women following him around. Tim never thought of himself as good-looking. He always thought he was too skinny, too scruffy, too much of a geek to be attractive. None of that mattered to the object of his affection, the man to whom his heart belonged. But it still amazed him that he had to fight off women.

One day he hoped he could just where a tag that said, "I prefer men," with out creating problems. Or maybe, "I love Horatio Caine." He'd love to see the reaction to that around the lab.


	69. life

Tim's eyes fluttered open and he rolled over in bed surprised to find he wasn't alone. Slowly memories of the previous night came filtering back into his sleep filled brain. He remembered the bar. He remembered drinking too much. He remembered being surprised when Horatio asked him to dance. He remembered enjoying the dance. He remembered thinking that life was short and he shouldn't deny himself something he'd always wanted so when Horatio asked for a ride home, he'd said yes. He shivered as he remembered the rest of the night.

Horatio's eyes opened and he smiled. "Morning," he said.


	70. spring

It was a beautiful day. Tim loved spring. The birds were singing. It wasn't too hot. It wouldn't start raining until later in the day. But there was one thing about the springtime he didn't like. It seemed to bring out the lunatics. And he didn't like that he had to enjoy this particularly nice day on his way to a crime scene. It was supposed to be his day off but the lab was shorthanded so he was enjoying this beautiful day lugging around his kit and camera instead of lying on the beach or sitting on his deck.


	71. white

It had been years since he had been in New York, especially during the winter. He and Horatio had come to the Big Apple for a conference that just happened to be taking place in January.

After the conference was over they decided to stay on for a couple of extra days to do a little sight seeing. Tim woke up first and went to the window. When he looked out he saw the city was covered in a blanket of white. He was like a little kid. All he wanted to do was go outside and play in it.


	72. colorless

Tim stepped out onto his front porch with a mug of coffee in his hand. A cool breeze blew and he shivered slightly. He looked up and noticed that the sky was overcast and rain was threatening. It was a typical December morning in Miami. He knew it would clear out later on. The sun would break through the clouds turning the drab, colorless sky a bright blue again. He had to admit that that was one of the things he loved about Miami. In New York, a day like this one would probably stay like this, especially in December.


	73. weeks

It had been weeks since they had been able to get any time alone together that didn't involve a crime scene. Tim pulled Horatio through the front door of his apartment then pushed him up against the wall as their lips crashed together. Their hands roamed each other's bodies and tugged at each other's clothes. Tim was ready to Horatio right there up against the wall. He ground his hips against Horatio's causing both of them to moan loudly.

Finally Horatio pushed them both away from the wall with a growl, and grabbing Tim's hand, dragged him into the bedroom.


	74. he

Tim stood silently in the doorway of Horatio's office and watched him work. The redhead's full attention was on the file in front of him. He'd known from the moment he'd met Horatio Caine that he'd found the person that he wanted to spend his life with. He'd kept his feelings to himself for years never thinking that Horatio had any interest in him. It was difficult for him, until one night when everything changed. Now instead of watching his boss work, he watching the man he loved and who loved him back.

"Hey," Tim said. "Want to go home?"


	75. thanksgiving

Tim reached down and carefully slid the turkey out of the oven. The smell filled the house and made his mouth water. He took the foil off the top just as Horatio walked in.

"Smells wonderful," he said as he gave Tim a kiss. "When can we eat? Everyone is hungry."

"Soon," Tim said. "It has to cool down a bit before I can carve it."

Horatio backed him up against the counter. "This was a really good idea," he said as his mouth descended on Tim's. When he broke the kiss he said, "Everyone is having a wonderful time."


	76. years

It had been years since he's seen his little brother. He was only ten when Speed had left home. Now he was following in his older brother's footsteps. He'd enrolled at the University of Miami as a graduate student. His mother had called him to give him the news a coupe of weeks ago.

They didn't speak much because his parents didn't approve of the life he chosen and they certainly didn't approve of his relationship with Horatio. But none of that mattered much to him. His brother was excited about seeing him again and that was all that mattered.


	77. black

He searched everywhere. He'd turned his bedroom upside down, rifled through the laundry, looked under the bed, in the bathroom. It wasn't a big apartment. He couldn't remember what he'd done with them. He briefly wondered if he'd left them in his locker at work but he knew he wouldn't have. Then he thought maybe he'd left them at Horatio's but he wouldn't have left pantsless.

He tried to remember the last time he'd worn them when it dawned on him. Horatio, mister neat, had stayed over. He opened the closet and found his favorite black jeans on a hanger.


	78. children

It was a habit he had picked up from Horatio. When things got too heavy at the lab and he felt like his only option was to resign or just disappear, he would hop on his bike and take a ride to the park. He had his favorite spot to sit, a nice shaded bench, under a tree at the edge of the park. He could see the children playing from that spot without looking like a pervert watching. It helped him to keep things in perspective. It reminded him that the world wasn't such a bad place after all.


	79. diamond

There were certain types of people Tim just couldn't relate to. He knew the moment the victim's wife walked into the interrogation room that she was one of those people. She was one of those people with too much time on her hands. She was someone with too much money who lived in a too big house and wore too much expensive jewelry just because she could. And she made a point of flaunting it. When she shook Speed's hand she made sure he saw the five-karat diamond ring her late husband had given her. And he really hated that.


	80. earth

Tim worked his way around the outside of the house carefully examining the ground around him. He needed to find something, some type of evidence to nail the guy that killed the people who lived in the house. He was prepared to spend the entire day examining every inch of earth beneath him to find what he needed. There was evidence in the house that the perpetrator had been in the yard watching the family. Tim knew he had to leave something of himself behind in the yard. And he wasn't going to give up until he found that something.


	81. Chapter 81

A/N: I didn't feel like splitting the up into separate files. I sort of got behind in uploading them and didn't want to spam your inboxes with twenty uploads. Anyway, these finish off this challenge.

#9 Months

He had picked up the case several months before and it was beginning to look like it was heading to the cold files. Tim really hated that. But he also knew that there was only so long a case could remain active before trails went cold and witnesses became scarce. He checked each piece of evidence as he packed it away in the box. He opened the file and decided to give it one last read before packing it away hoping to find something new. But he didn't so he packed it away and walked the box down to storage.

#24 Family

Speed watched Eric play with his nieces and nephews at the park. He had custody of them for the afternoon while his sister's went shopping. Speed had been out riding when he ran across them and got snagged by Eric to help. He wasn't all that into kids but he always had fun with the Delko brood. It made him wonder what it would have been like for him if he had grown up in a big family instead of being an only child. Though he had the feeling that his parents had their hands full with just him anyway.

#54 Air

Tim walked outside and felt like he'd been hit in the face with a wet sponge. The air was thick with humidity. Tim sighed as sweat immediately began breaking out over his entire body. August in Miami, he thought.

The worst part, he was heading to a crime scene out in the Glades. And he already felt like he was swimming through the air in the lab parking lot. He met Eric at the hummer and as soon as he opened the door he was hit by a blast of cool, dry air. He sighed happily as he climbed in.

#64 Fall

Sometimes he missed the change of seasons the he'd experienced when he lived up north. The seasons in Miami varied from warm to hot to scorching. Not really what he grown used to as a New Yorker. He missed the snow and cold weather, even though it meant he couldn't ride his bike. He missed the spring when everything came back to life. But mostly he missed the fall. The air cooled after a hot summer and leaves changed color. He would have to go back to New York to visit if only to see the colors of fall again.

#95 New Year

Speed didn't normally like parties. But this was the lab's New Year's Eve party and he knew if he wasn't there he'd never hear the end of it. He glanced around the room and noticed someone was absent.

He walked up the stairs and stood in the doorway of Horatio's office. He found him sitting at his desk. Horatio looked up and smiled then walked over.

"You're missing the festivities," Tim said.

Horatio leaned in close just as he heard Auld Land Syne start to play from the break room.

"I don't think so," he whispered as their lips net.

#25 Strangers

Most murders happen between two people who know each other. Speed knew that. And that is why before they had done anything else they had interviewed the victim's family, friends and coworkers. They talked to his neighbors, the guy he bought his newspaper from every morning and the woman who served him his morning latte. The problem was that none of them had had anything to do with the crime.

After several days of chasing such pointless leads, Speed knew that he was dealing with a stranger murder. Stranger murders were notoriously difficult to solve, especially with out a motive.

#55 Spirit

Eric walked into the trace lab and looking at Speed knew something was up. He was smiling and humming along with the music he was listening to. Eric stood there and watched him for a few moments. He wasn't used to seeing his friend in such good spirits.

"Morning," he said. Speed looked up and smiled at him. "You're in a good mood today."

Speed shrugged but he was still smiling. It was contagious and Eric couldn't help smiling back. When Speed turned back to his work Eric knew he wasn't going to tell him anything, but he could guess.

#29 Birth

He hadn't intended to be up so early. It was Sunday. He was off. He'd wanted to sleep in. But between his insomnia and his body clock, which managed to wake him up every day just before his alarm went off, he was up before the sun. He decided to make some coffee then sit out on the balcony and watch the sun come up. Even though he was up this early every morning, watching the sunrise wasn't something he usually got to do. He sat back and put his feet up on the railing ready for a new day.

#50 Joker

Speed wandered into the locker room at the end of the day. He was tired and just wanted to grab his things, head home and sleep for a week. He opened his locker and jumped back when a cloud of white powder sprayed out and covered his shirt and caused him to sneeze.

"Eric," he growled.

The prank war between the two men was escalating. He sighed and started brushing the powder off. He looked over the contents of his locker. Everything was covered in powder. Instead of going home and sleeping, now he'd go home and plot his revenge.

#90 It

It was not easy for Speed to keep a straight face. It was a childish prank; he knew that. But he couldn't help himself and Eric had walked right into it. At the moment Eric was trying to discuss the results of the tests Speed had run and he kept referring back to the slide in the microscope, the very same microscope whose eyepiece Speed had covered in eye-black. But after the powder incident the other day, Eric deserved whatever he got. He was just hoping he could keep from letting on before Eric walked out of the trace lab.

#65 Passing

Speed stared out the window of the Hummer as he and Calleigh drove to a crime scene in the far north of Dade County. It was at least a half hour ride if the traffic cooperated. It was early in the morning, too early for conversation as far as he was concerned. He sipped at his coffee, the coffee Calleigh had been kind enough to stop for on their way out of town, as he watched the scenery pass by. They had managed to get out of the city and the scenery changed as he watched the palm trees pass.

#94 Solstice

Speed glance up at the noon day sun which was beating down on him at the crime scene. He was out in the open in the middle of a park at the end of June on the longest day of the year. He stood up and stretched his tired muscles. It was hot and humid and he knew the sun would not be setting any time soon. He wiped his sleeve across his forehead wiping away the perspiration then reached down and grabbed his camera. He snapped a few more pictures making sure to keep the sun at his back.

#49 Queen

Speed hated pretentious people. Especially pretentious people he had to interview. And even more, pretentious people he had to interview that he knew were guilty of a crime that he didn't have the physical evidence to prove. He knew he would have to rely on this woman confessing but she was so arrogant and sure of herself that, at the moment, Speed had no idea how he was going to pull this one off. He watched the woman on the other side of the oneway glass hoping to let her stew for a few more minutes before he dove in.

#80 Healing

The accident had happened a long time ago. He'd still been living in New York at the time and it had actually been the catalyst for him to leave his home state. He had been much more reckless back then not really thinking too much about what could happen. After he crashed his first motorcycle he'd spent almost a month in the hospital. It had taken him a long time to heal from that experience both physically and mentally. But it didn't stop him from getting back in the saddle, he thought as he stood in front of his bike.

#76 Rebirth

After he had healed physically and reached the point where he could ride again, he purchased a new bike, packed his things, and road out of New York heading south. He had no idea where he was going to go. He just knew he wanted to get out of the city. He drove for two days until he finally arrived in Miami. It wasn't something he'd planned but in the end he was glad things had worked out the way they had. He'd had the chance to start a new life and a career he'd never thought he would have.

#96 Writer's Choice - Bike

Speed walked out of the lab and toward the parking lot. He made his way past the cars to his baby. He ran his fingers over the handlebar as he glanced around the lot at all of the cars. He just couldn't see himself driving one of those things every day. There was just something about the freedom he felt driving down the road on his bike that he could never give up. It was the feeling of being one with the road, something you don't get stuck inside a car. He would never trade his bike for a car.

#97 Writer's Choice - Speed

Speeding down the causeway late at night he could feel the wind on his face and blowing through his hair. There was nothing like this in the world. It was the best way to relieve the stress of the day. It was the best way to simply forget everything. He could lose himself in the sheer exhilaration of speed. He had no particular destination in mind. The ride was the thing. He took a different route each time, at least he tried to. Sometimes he would end up at the beach; other times somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.

#98 Writer's Choice - Yellow

Eric had asked him once, "Why yellow?" He wasn't sure he could answer that question. At the time he'd just shrugged and said, "Why not?" He'd had his choice when he'd bought the bike. Red was too flashy and attracted too much attention especially from the police. Black was dull and in the Miami sun would get too hot. He didn't like green. Blue was a possibility but he didn't care too much for the shade the bike came in. That left white or yellow. At the time he'd actually flipped a coin. Now he was glad that yellow won.

#99 Writer's Choice - Company

As much as he loved riding alone, getting out on his own and just losing himself in the ride, he really enjoyed riding with someone with him, pressed up behind him as he drove. It was especially nice when that someone was Horatio Caine. He'd been pleasantly surprised when he'd found out how much Horatio enjoyed being on the bike. He would slip into the seat behind Speed and wrap his arms around his waist. He knew just how to lean into the turns; they moved like one as they sped down the highway. There was nothing like that feeling.

#100 Writer's Choice - Ducati

#100 Writer's Choice - Ducati  
His first had been a Harley Davidson, a light weight that only sat one. He couldn't take a passenger but he didn't care back then. He'd been seventeen and it had been the first major purchase he'd made all on his own. His next had come during college, a Kawasaki Ninja. The speed and power of a street racer had attracted him that particular model. He'd bought the Ducati next, a real racing bike but still street legal. He'd loved every one of them, his current, the Ducati, being his favorite but still had a soft spot for his first.


End file.
